The arrival of Trader Joe’s revives a Berkeley neighborhood

It was known as “the Homeless Hilton” by the homeless people who used to camp out on the roof of the building on the corner of MLK and Berkeley Way. But now, following an extensive renovation orchestrated by a team of locally based companies, 1841 Berkeley Way is looking sharp — and its office and retail spaces are being snapped up.

It all started with the arrival of Trader Joe’s said the building’s owner, John Gordon. “Trader Joe’s has been a wonderful amenity for the whole neighborhood,” he said. “It has increased the foot traffic and this is a much safer corner now. We took the opportunity to upgrade the building with this in mind.”

The team that undertook the remodel are all Berkeley-based. Charles Kahn was the architect, construction work was by Holland & Harley, and Robert Trachtenberg did the landscaping.

“The project has been well received by local residents and merchants — in a short period of time we leased all four of our vacant spaces,” said Gordon.